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Naming conventions
Naming conventions refers to the preferred method(s) of creating article names for pages used on . This is for the benefit of editors looking to create new pages as well as random users who are searching for information about their favorite show, telemovie, character, actor, etc. We strive for consistency here, so this is a good place to look if a potential author is nervous about creating pages for the first time. Don't worry, if you do something wrong, we will hire Tony Soprano to seek you out and put you down like a dog in the street. No pressure. Program titles By and large, program title pages will be named using the most commonly known English language title of the show. For future reference, we will refer to this as the "simple method". The simple method means that an article page title referring to a TV show is named for the show itself. For example: If one wishes to create a page about the TV series 30 Rock, the page will named... wait for it... wait for it... yup. You guessed it. It will be called 30 Rock. This is the simple method. Unfortunately, not all TV shows fit into this paradigm. There are many programs that have been rebooted, retooled, reinvented, reinvingorated and other fancy words using the prefix "re". In the case of multiple shows that use the same name, we will use the following formula. The original, or most well known of the shows will continue to be titled using the simple method. Any other shows using the same name will use the basic title of the show followed by the year that it was broadcast in parenthesis. Other sequels or remakes that have a somewhat unique title that is different from the original title will still use the simple method. Example : Knight Rider - Original 1982 series; Simple method : Knight Rider 2000 - Variation of the original title; Simple method : Knight Rider (2008) - Sequel to original series; Duplicate title; Add date in parenthesis. Episode titles Episode titles are pretty basic. They should all begin with the title of the program, followed by a semicolon, followed by the name of the episode. For programs that begin with the word "the", I entreat you to reference the The rule of "THE" section below. This method requires a little extra typing on the part of an editor and admittedly, can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's done for a very good reason. Many episode titles have been used over and over and over again across many different shows. In such cases, a disambiguation page should be created using the template to differentiate between TV shows that may share a similar title. Multi-chapter episodes In the case of multi-chapter episodes, the preferred method is to use the standard numbering system (not Roman numerals) to denote chapter headings. For consistency, this method should be used across the board, regardless of how the episode is actually titled. The correct title may be indentified in an article's Notes section. Examples: :* 3rd Rock from the Sun: The Thing That Wouldn't Die (Part 2) :* Farscape: Look at the Princess (Part 1): A Kiss is But a Kiss :* Six Million Dollar Man: The Return of the Bionic Woman (Part 1) :* Star Trek: Enterprise: Broken Bow (Part 1) Different episodes with the same name Episode titles do not require the date in parenthesis following the name of the series, regardless of whether they relate to that show or not. An episode from the 1982 Knight Rider series will called "Knight Rider: Episode Title", while an episode from the 2008 series will also be called "Knight Rider: Episode Title". The episodes themselves will be categorized to their appropriate pages so there shouldn't be any confusion. The only time this becomes a problem is if there are two different episodes from two different programs that will have the exact same page name. For example, there are actually two different episodes that would use the page name "Addams Family: Morticia, the Matchmaker". There's the original version from the 1964 series, and another one from the 1990s series. In such a case, the original show will have the basic title, while the second show will use the full title followed by a backslash and a Roman numeral 2. :: Episode title should like: "Addams Family: Morticia the Matchmaker/II". Episodes without a title The naming convention for episodes that do not have a title is to use the base name of the series, followed by a semicolon, followed by the corresponding season number, followed by a period, followed by the episode number. Sound confusing? It actually isn't. Check it: Examples: ::Surface: 1.1 ::Surface: 1.2 ::Surface: 1.3 In the case of soap operas, the season number is not required, since soaps generally don't have seasons. So just use the , Program title: Episode number format. Examples: ::Guiding Light: 1 ::Guiding Light: 2 ::Guiding Light: 3 The rule of "THE" Personally, I dislike seeing article names that begin with the word "The". By and large, we discourage it's use. The only times that an article should begin with the word "the", regardless of whether it's a TV series, episode or anything else, is if the article name just seems too clumsy or awkward without it. If a program or episode name appears fine without it, don't use it. Be careful though. Look around at existing pages to see how they are being titled. When to use There are some TV shows that would just sound strange without "the" in the beginning of it. In this case, the program title may begin with "the". The same holds true for episode titles relating to the series as well. Examples :* The Gates :* The Glades :* The O.C. :* The Practice :* The Shield :* The Simpsons When not to use If a TV show or episode title appears just fine without the word "the" in the beginning, then feel free to drop it like a toilet seat. This rule applies to most article pages relating to programs and episode, but obviously not all. Examples Articles relating to the following TV programs should not use the world "the" in the beginning of the page name. :* Big Bang Theory :* Bionic Woman :* Dukes of Hazzard :* Nine Lives of Chloe King :* Six Million Dollar Man Category:Guidelines